1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bumpers for corner edges such as edges on tables, counters and other items that have sharp corners and particularly to removable bumpers for corner edges.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,878 to Ellingson discloses a wall guard having an underlying layer conforming to a wall and covering a wall edge and a second overlying layer spaced from the underlying layer. Both layers intersect at outboard regions remote from the wall edge. The specific geometric configuration, thickness, and energy absorption characteristics of the Ellingson wall guard are not disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,231 to Helms discloses a corner protector having a pie-shaped top surface and a pair of curved side walls extending downwardly from the top surface. Curved side walls define an air pocket between the side walls of the protector and the side walls of the counter top or table. U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,444 to Gardner discloses a packaging system. The packaging system includes a corner post that is inserted into a container. The insert has bulbs or protrusions resting against the interior sides of the packaging container and has interior walls spaced from those protrusions to butt the material contained in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,054 to Gardner discloses a support and cushioning tube consisting of a plurality of tubes joined together forming air pockets to cushion the material contained within the container. U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,739 to Gasser discloses a bumper edge member that defines a completely enclosed air chamber to cushion impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,709 to Swagger discloses a side wall and fender protector. U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,725 to Bussard et al discloses a guard structure for the rims of canvas baskets. The guard structure is simply wrapped around the rim of the basket. U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,347 to Jenk discloses corner post construction that is a collapsed tube inserted into the corners of a container. U.S. Pat. No. 2,376,530 to Dittmann discloses solid block corner edge protectors that are inserted into containers to hold materials stored within the containers. U.S. Pat. No. 1,821,692 to Copeland discloses a packing case having corrugated corner pieces for isolating materials stored in the packing case from impact.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,742,916 to Galea discloses corner and edge protectors that are placed in containers. The protectors are molded fiber that conform to the corners and edges of items that are placed within containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,449 to Bendt discloses a protection device for edges of items that are placed within containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,441 to Hurley discloses angle edge guards that protect edges of items placed within containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,673 to Eckel discloses a corner edge protector for items placed within containers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,744 to Van Breemen and U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,995 to Conlon disclose edge protector devices that support or protect edges of items placed within containers.
The following references also disclose devices which protect corners and edges of materials placed in containers: U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,387 to Hunt; U.S. Pat. No. 3,531,040 to Myny; U.S. Pat. No. 3,072,313 to Svendsen; U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,260 to Stone; and, U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,181 to Epps.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,728 to Wesman discloses cushioning pieces for corners. The cushioning pieces form a plurality of air bubbles or voids next to the corner surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,775 to Brown et al. discloses a table corner guide that is a unitary block of material placed on the top surface of a table. U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,142 to Heffley discloses a mirror corner protector having bulbs approximate the corner edge of the mirror and along adjacent side edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,854 to Jamieson discloses a body guard device for protecting the corner edges of furniture. The body guard device has a cylindrically shaped or bulbous protrusion adjacent the corner edge of the furniture. The Jamieson disclosure does not discuss in detail the geometric relationship between the cylindrical shield and the balance of the protector.
An ASME publication was presented during a conference on Nov. 16-20, 1969 entitled "The Linearization of the Pre-buckling State and its Effect on the Determined Instability Loads" by Kerr and Soifer. This publication discusses the instability phenomena of elastic solids and provides nonlinear equations describing the action of those elastic solids under varying loads. The equations describe the performance of a shallow arch with fixed boundaries subjected to a uniformly distributed load. A text, The Theory of Elastic Stability, by Timoshenko, published in 1961, discloses the buckling of uniformly compressed circular arches and particularly the critical load for arches with varying angles and boundary conditions.